"Inte blunda, men avvakta"- En kvalitativ studie om pedagogers syn på samverkan med socialtjänsten vid en orosanmälan

Sammanfattning: Teachers are an essential part of the mandatory reporting system in Sweden. Schools and social services have a collective responsibility to take measures to protect children from abuse and neglect. Thus, teachers are obliged to observe and share information with the social services if they become aware or suspect child maltreatment. This qualitative study examined teachers’ perspectives on the mandatory reporting system and collaboration with social services in Sweden. The result indicated a frustration towards the lack of feedback from social services concerning their students, which was often a result of laws and regulations requiring confidentiality regarding ongoing cases. The absence of feedback limited the teachers’ ability to be involved in supporting a students’ situation, even though they put their relationship with the student and their parents at risk by reporting them in the first place. Therefore, the teachers identified the fear of ruining the relationship with the student as a possible obstacle to overcome. That worry determined whether a concern towards a students’ wellbeing was to be reported or not. Encouraging factors towards collaboration included the teachers’ trust in the other organizations’ capacity to handle a case they reported on.